Top 10 Inventions Of WWII

[Andy in West Oz]

Cabin pressurisation in aircraft.

[DomH27]

the best invention was the garand, very accurate semi-auto gas-operated, infantryman's best friend

[PeterG]

The invention in WW2 that changed the world was microwave radar. The thousands of commercial aircraft in our skies today are all tracked continuously by radar. Every ship and pleasure boat now relies on it, as do most of the world's storm-watching systems and TV weather reports. Radar led to radio astronomy. It was radar that brought on the discovery of pulsars, quasars, and thousands of hidden galaxies.

Microwave radar also led to the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance, the transistor, and the maser, giving the basis of computer memories. But that wasn't all, early television got a critical boost from wartime radar, as did microwave spectrography.

So too did microwave ovens, now common in every home. This forum wouldn't exist nor the Internet were it not for radar and all its myriad spin-offs.

I would recommend you read Robert Buderi's appropriately titled The Invention That Changed The World - The Story of Radar from War to Peace

[Herroberst]

The Garrand is an excellent weapon in the right hands. Thank you for your response. Any others you feel worthy of mentioning.

[T. A. Gardner]

In no particular order:

1. Penicillin and other anti-biotics
2. UHF FM radio
3. Radar, in particular microwave radar. By the by, the Japanese beat the British to inventing it....
4. Nuclear power / weapons
5. Metallurgy. The advances in this field were tremendous during the war. Tungsten carbide (prewar it was marginally in use), alloy and stainless steels, aluminum alloys, titanium etc.
6. Plastics. This was almost a new field in 1939 with few in use. Use was widespread by 1945 and was quickly replacing wood in most applications.
7. Gas turbines (jet engines)
8. Operations research and industrial engineering. New fields that brought science to the application of war and industry. The introduction of the "Mil-Spec" and rigorous quality control had massive ramifications in reliability and production of war materials.
9. Room temperature storable rations. From C rations to M&M's to the canned potato or Spam this made an enormous impact on health and well being of troops and civilian populations.
10. Layered clothing designed for combat and outdoor living.

Note, with the exception of nuclear weapons not one thing on this list is a weapon. This is because the weapons of WW 2, like most throughout history, were evolutionary not revolutionary in nature.

[spidge]

Originally Posted by T. A. Gardner

In no particular order:

Penicillin and other anti-biotics

There seems to be a question in peoples minds as to Penicillin not being an invention but a discovery.

This was intimated by a few on this thread through its course.

Sir Alexander Fleming certainly observed "Penicillin" however he could not "make it work" and shelved his research in 1930.

Florey, Chain et al made it work by "Inventing" the process to manufacture.

Any thoughts or comments?

[Herroberst]

Don't you feel an invention is useless unless it can be applied?

[spidge]

Originally Posted by Herroberst

Don't you feel an invention is useless unless it can be applied?

Hi Pete,

Yes I do!

What is the meaning of your question? Are you relating it to Fleming or is it generalised?

There is no doubt that Fleming "discovered" penicillin and hypothesised the possible human benefits however it would have gone nowhere had someone not acted on his research.

The invention of the means of manufacture and subsequent application (Florey, Chain etc did all the human trials) marked this as the new age of medicine.

[T. A. Gardner]

Originally Posted by Herroberst

Don't you feel an invention is useless unless it can be applied?

Not at all. There have been plenty of inventions that on their own never were useful but led to subsequent developments that were. Just because something is impractical or useless now does not mean it might be practical and useful in the future.
Not all progress is revolutionary. Most of it is evolutionary. That is, most inventions are not something totally new without a previous string of developments but usually they are the other way around.

[Herroberst]

Originally Posted by T. A. Gardner

Not at all. There have been plenty of inventions that on their own never were useful but led to subsequent developments that were. Just because something is impractical or useless now does not mean it might be practical and useful in the future.
Not all progress is revolutionary. Most of it is evolutionary. That is, most inventions are not something totally new without a previous string of developments but usually they are the other way around.

Evolution of invention has merit but during War time, application was essential and unfortunately for the Germans they tended to go the evolutionary route.